Education
B.A. Wheaton College, M.Div. Fuller Theological Seminary, Th.D. Harvard University Divinity School
todd.billings@westernsem.edu

Courses
TF574 Salvation and Deification
TF114 Systematic Theology II
TF568 Calvin's Theology and Its Critics
TF528 Theological Hermeneutics

In a time when churches are pressured to abandon their distinctives and become 'generically Christian', I am unapologetically enthusiastic about being Christian in a Reformed way. Emerging from a rich theological heritage and a diverse worldwide communion, Reformed theology has the depth to nourish the church and the dynamism to be open to God's new work. The study of Reformed theology is not just an academic exercise, but a part of a transformative encounter with God as we follow the radical gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ

Background

For Todd Billings, theology is a discipline that both shapes and emerges from the worship, prayer and ministry of the church. The joys and challenges of Christian ministry first led him to pursue the study of theology. After working in Christian community development in Uganda, he changed his plans to pursue a Ph.D. in philosophy, turning instead to pursue theological reflection for the sake of the church. Since then he has been active in the church's varied ministries: teaching theology in Ethiopia, working on staff at an urban homeless shelter, and serving his local church in various leadership roles. He is an ordained minister in the Reformed Church in America.

Dr. Billings has a passion for Reformed theology, with its rich catholicity that draws upon the riches of ancient Christianity, and its distinctive entryway into the gospel’s transformative message. His special interests include Calvin's theology, the sacraments, salvation, and theological hermeneutics. His first book, Calvin, Participation, and the Gift (Oxford, 2007), explores Calvin's theology of "participation in Christ” in relation to contemporary debates about whether God is coercive in Calvin’s theology. Dr. Billings has published articles in a variety of journals, including Modern Theology, Missiology, and Harvard Theological Review, as well as periodicals such as Christianity Today and Sojourners.

Visit Dr. Billings' personal website: www.jtoddbillings.com

 Curriculum Vitae